Asian history Books
Pennsylvania State University Press Networks of Touch
Book SynopsisIn early nineteenth-century China, a remarkable transformation took place in the art world: artists among China's educated elites began to use touch to forge a more authentic relationship to the past, to challenge stagnant artistic canons, and to foster deeper human connections. Networks of Touch is an engaging exploration of this sensory turn. In this book, Michael J. Hatch examines the artistic network of Ruan Yuan (17641849), a scholar-official whose patronage supported a generation of artists and learned people who prioritized epigraphic research as a means of truing the warped contours of Confucian heritage. Their work instigated an epigraphic aesthetican appropriation of the stylistic, material, and tactile features of ancient inscribed objects and their reproductive technologiesin late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century artwork. Rubbings, a reduplicative technology, challenged the dominance of brushwork as the bearer of artistic authority. While brushwork represented theTrade Review“Thoroughly researched, smartly conceived, and artfully presented, Networks of Touch is one of those rare books that would satisfy both the specialist scholar and the general reader. With his intellectual ambition, formal visual analysis skills, and fine eye for details, Hatch has enlivened both the forest and the trees down to the textures of the bark and leaf.”—Dorothy Ko,author of The Social Life of Inkstones: Artisans and Scholars in Early Qing China
£84.96
University of Texas Press LBJ and Vietnam
Book SynopsisAn examination of how and why President Lyndon Johnson and his administration conducted the Vietnam war as they did.Table of Contents Foreword Preface One. “A Different Kind of War”: The Johnson Administration and the Conduct of Limited War in Vietnam Two. No More MacArthurs: Johnson, McNamara, the Military, and the Command System in Vietnam Three. The “Other War”: Management of Pacification, 1965–1967 Four. The Not-so-secret Search for Peace Five. “Without Ire”: Management of Public Opinion Six. “Fighting while Negotiating”: The Tet Offensive and After Seven. Conclusion Notes Index
£999.99
University of Washington Press Symptoms of an Unruly Age
Book SynopsisSymptoms of an Unruly Age compares the writings of Li Zhi (15271602) and his late-Ming compatriots to texts composed by their European contemporaries, including Montaigne, Shakespeare, and Cervantes. Emphasizing aesthetic patterns that transcend national boundaries, Rivi Handler-Spitz explores these works as culturally distinct responses to similar social and economic tensions affecting early modern cultures on both ends of Eurasia. The paradoxes, ironies, and self-contradictions that pervade these works are symptomatic of the hypocrisy, social posturing, and counterfeiting that afflicted both Chinese and European societies at the turn of the seventeenth century. Symptoms of an Unruly Age shows us that these texts, produced thousands of miles away from one another, each constitute cultural manifestations of early modernity. The open access publication of this book was made possible by a grant from the James P. Geiss and Margaret Y. Hsu Foundation.Trade Review"Handler-Spitz sets herself two discrete tasks: to describe societies that were undergoing critical, parallel changes; and to justify the comparative approach itself... As Handler-Spitz makes clear, simply recognizing the parallels can safeguard us from inappropriately narrow, single-culture-specific notions of causality." -- Katherine Carlitz * Journal of Asian Studies *"Symptoms of an Unruly Age beautifully captures Li Zhi’s late-Ming world and the anxiety that world provoked, not by introducing startlingly new themes to those of us already familiar with the period, but by weaving them together and exploring them in new and nuanced ways." * Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews *"Symptoms of an Unruly Age will become indispensable reading for any serious China scholar looking for amodel of how to write China into a global context or hoping to understand Li Zhi from a fresh and compelling perspective." -- Maram Epstein * Modern Philology *"Handler-Spitz, a remarkably clear writer, deftly interweaves her own observations and analyses of Li Zhi’s work with numerous translations of primary texts, allowing the book to serve as a short and insightful introduction to Li Zhi’s thought and late-Ming intellectual life in general. Upon closer investigation, however, the book turns out to be much more than a smartly written biography of a fascinating late Ming man. By consistently exploring the literary and intellectual similarities between China and Europe, the study transforms into a smart investigation of how to situate such a man in a much larger, early modern world." -- Pieter C. Keulemans * Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies *"It is a measure of the success of Handler-Spitz’s erudite and enjoyable book that it stimulates its reader to continue pondering these issues." -- Lucille Chia * American Historical Review *"Symptoms of an Unruly Age is an unusual book, but one that is exceptionally successful in fulfilling its aim. Although the reader may be excused for overlooking the depth of her scholarship because of the clarity and grace of her prose style, this small volume reflects enormous competence—not only in the large and challenging body of Li Zhi’s own writings, but in a broad range of the relevant secondary materials concerning the thinker and all aspects of his time, and in European intellectual history, especially of the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods. Symptoms of an Unruly Age is a fine example of mature scholarship in which each statement has been carefully weighed for relevance, accuracy, and style. Handler-Spitz is a sure and reliable guide not only to this thinker, but also to the late Ming intellectual milieu that came to be so readily apparent in the literature—including the vernacular fiction—of his time. As an introduction to the intellectual challenges that dominated the late Ming, a distinct and profoundly important “age” in the modernization of Chinese culture, I know of no more readable study than this either for the graduate student or for specialists in other fields. For a first monograph, this is a major accomplishment." -- Robert E. Hegel * T'oung Pao *"Symptoms of an Unruly Age sets Li Zhi in contrast to modern thinkers in Western Europe in insightful, unexpected ways. . . makes a real contribution to the study of early modern China and offers a model for future work in the field." -- Michael Gibbs Hill * Comparative Literature Studies *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Note on Names and Translations Introduction 1. Transparent Language: Origin Myths and Early Modern Aspirations of Recovery 2. The Rhetoric of Bluff: Paradox, Irony, and Self-Contradiction 3. Sartorial Signs and Li Zhi’s Paradoxical Appearance 4. Money and Li Zhi’s Economies of Rhetoric 5. Dubious Books and Definitive Editions 6. Provoking or Persuading Readers? Li Zhi and the Incitement of Critical Judgment Notes Glossary of Chinese Characters Bibliography Index
£91.00
University of Washington Press Banaras Reconstructed
Book SynopsisBetween the late sixteenth and early twentieth centuries, Banaras, the iconic Hindu center in northern India that is often described as the oldest living city in the world, was reconstructed materially as well as imaginatively, and embellished with temples, monasteries, mansions, and ghats (riverfront fortress-palaces). Banaras's refurbished sacred landscape became the subject of pilgrimage maps and its spectacular riverfront was depicted in panoramas and described in travelogues.In Banaras Reconstructed, Madhuri Desai examines the confluences, as well as the tensions, that have shaped this complex and remarkable city. In so doing, she raises issues central to historical as well as contemporary Indian identity and delves into larger questions about religious urban environments in South Asia.Trade Review"Desai shows clearly that the city, especially its waterfront, has been a canvas for the inscription of power—of Mughal courtiers, Bengali merchants, British imperial functionaries, Hindu rajas, Maratha nobles, and an array of others trying to create their own narratives of heritage and lineage, whether for political or personal gain." * Journal of Asian Studies *"An important book that brings new life to one of India’s oldest, holiest, and best-known cities. Nowhere has the longer history of Banaras’s many (re)constructions been more cohesively or persuasively told." * Art Bulletin *"Madhuri Desai has dexterously attempted to describe and exemplify how varied aspects have contributed in the consecration of Banaras as sacred amidst other buildings which hold a high degree of historical significance. The arguments by the author are meticulously supplemented with original layouts and documentations dating from the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar." * Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities *"Banaras Reconstructed is a valuable intervention in the field of early modern and colonial architectural history, one that productively opens up new passages into the complex history and historiography of the “Hindu city.”" * Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (JSAH) *"A painstakingly pieced together work of longue durée urban history." * Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction | The Paradox of Banaras 1. Authenticity and Pilgrimage 2. Palimpsests and Authority 3. Expansion and Invention 4. Spectacle and Ritual 5. Order and Antiquity 6. Visions and Embellishments Conclusion | Banaras Revisited
£110.48
MV - University of Washington Press Reading Orientalism
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£110.48
University of Washington Press Reading Orientalism
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Varisco's book makes for exhilarating reading." * Times Literary Supplement *"Daniel Martin Varisco's Reading Orientalism: Said and the Unsaid [is] an extensive study that should put to rest, once and for all, the ghost of the formidable Arab-American, culturally Muslim Christian, yet resolutely secular, critic. Supported by 115 pages of exhaustive notes, a 65-page bibliography, and a selective index of essential names not exceeding 12 pages, Reading Orientalism is both a tribute to the spirit that animated Said's Orientalism and a thorough critique of the book's 'manifest flaws.' ." * American Literary History *"Varisco's impressive piece of scholarship brings together much of the prior criticisms made of Said's notion of Orientalism and his approach along with the author's own insightful observations . . . . [A] first-rate assessment by Varisco of his subject." * The Review of Politics *"Varisco's book stakes out a most comprehensive claim: to present systematically and in detail the methodological as well as the general empirical shortcomings of the work [Said's Orientalism], while considering the entire body of prior (English language) criticism, for Said and against. Any defense of Orientalism will have to take into account this scrupulous and precise summation of Said criticism." * Kritik *"Varisco's book is the first to undertake a comprehensive reappraisal of Orientalism in the light of all that has subsequently been written about it. Although recognizing that Said's book was in its time stimulating and pathbreaking, Varisco mounts a sustained and unrelenting assault on what he insists was Said's flawed methodology, his skewed handling of literary evidence, his lack of adequate historical knowledge, and his distorted and tendentious conclusions. This book will enrage Said's many admirers and win the applause of his many detractors. Either way, it is an important and impressively documented work, which deserves a wide audience." * Common Knowledge *
£33.98
University of Washington Press Gender and Chinese History
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This anthology sets a new benchmark for the creative and rigorous use of a broad range of sources to extend the scope of gender-focused enquiry in Chinese late imperial history. It will be read with benefit by students and scholars of comparative modernities, comparative gender issues, as well as Chinese social and political history." -- Anne E. McLaren * China Review International: A Journal of Reviews of Scholarly Literature in Chinese Studies *"This collection of groundbreaking essays delivers enough inspiration not only for expanding gender-related historic studies in new directions, but also for questioning some of the well-established assumptions within the academic field, as well as popular gender stereotypes." -- Justyna Jaguścik * Asiatische Studien/ Etudes Asiatiques *"Insightful and provoocative . . . This edited volume is an enlightening and delightful reading for a wide range of scholars." -- Yu Zhang * New Books Asia *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Note on Terminology Chronology Introduction Part One: Early Modern Evolutions 1. Les Noces Chinoises / Ann Waltner 2. The Control of Female Energies / Guotong Li 3. Collecting Masculinity / Yulian Wu 4. Writing Love / Weijing Lu Part Two: “Cloistered Ladies” to New Women 5. “Media-Savvy” Gentlewomen of the 1870’s and Beyond / Ellen Widmer 6. The Fate of the Late Imperial “Talented Woman” / Joan Judge 7. Moving to Shanghai / Yan Wang Part Three: Radicalism and Ruptures 8. The Life of a Slogan / Emily Honig 9. Bad Transmission / Gail Hershatter Glossary of Chinese Characters Bibliography List of Contributors Index
£33.98
University of Washington Press Urbanization in Early and Medieval China
Book SynopsisThe heart of Urbanization in Early and Medieval China consists of translations of three gazetteers written during the Han (206 BCE220 CE), Tang (618907), and Northern Song (9601126) dynasties describing the city of Suzhou. The texts allow the reader to trace the dramatic changes that occurred as the city experienced enormous political and social upheavals over nine centuries. Each translation is accompanied by extensive annotation and a detailed discussion of the historical background of the text, authorship, and publication history. The book also traces the development of the gazetteer genre, the history of urban planning in China, and what we know about the early development of Suzhou from other texts and archaeological research. Urbanization in Early and Medieval China will be useful not only to scholars of Chinese history, but to scholars studying architecture and urban planning as well.Trade Review"Urbanization in Early and Medieval China has done a significant service to the field by making available a much-needed new set of Suzhou-focused texts for historians, literary scholars, and cultural geographers of early and medieval China. For those of us who teach seminars on Chinese cities past of present, this book will provide ample productive reading material with which to provoke discussion, along with texts with which to launch research projects—at any level." -- Linda Rui Feng * China Review International: A Journal of Reviews of Scholarly Literature in Chinese Studies *"The most important contribution of this book by far is the excellent translation of these three gaz-etteers. Far too much of Chinese history is written from the perspective of the imperial court, which presented a centralizing, homogenizing imperial narrative that exaggerated the cultural, ethnic, and political unity across the imperial realm. Gazetteers such as these provide an alternative vision of the empire, describing instead a patchwork of regional variation wherein locals took pan-imperial elite culture and blended it, each in their own way, with unique local customs, local cults, and multiethnic demographics." * Journal of the American Oriental Society *Table of ContentsIllustrations A Note on Nomenclature Preface Acknowledgments Chronology of Chinese Dynasties Introduction Three Gazetteers of Suzhou Tales of the Lands of Wu Records of the Lands of Wu Supplementary Records to the “Illustrated Guide to Wu Commandery” Commentary Analysis and Comparisons Conclusion Notes Glossary Bibliography Index
£32.87
University of Washington Press Chinas Transition to Modernity
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This book invites us to a deeper reflection on the split between the humanities and the sciences. . . .This highly erudite book will surely reach a broad audience among historians of science and philosophy in China." -- Thierry Meynard * Journal of Jesuit Studies *"Hu’s book offers the reader a treasure trove of diverse stories from 17th and 18th century Chinese intellectual history that are important to understand the genesis and legacy of Dai’s thought." -- Manuel Sassmann * Monumenta Serica *"This admirable book casts new light on an 18th-century Chinese intellectual giant and on the complex interplay within and between politics and ideas during that time of dynastic vigor and cultural self-confidence. . . . [It] belongs on the short must-read list of all advanced students of 'early modern' Chinese history. Essential." * Choice *"Anyone interested in eighteenth-century Chinese intellectual history should be grateful to Minghui Hu. . . . Hu’s revisionist study sheds new light on the innovativeness of Dai Zhen’s learning and thinking, enriching our understanding of the scientific and technical dimensions of kaozheng scholarship." -- On-cho Ng * Journal of Asian Studies *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 1. The Man and His Times 2. How Jesuit Science Conquered the Kangxi Court 3. Searching for Truth in the Origins of Civilizations 4. How to Build a Coalition around Science 5. An Outsider Enters the Mainstream 6. How to Dethrone Jesuit Science 7. Bringing It Home to the Palace of LightMonumenta Serica 8. Legibility of Visionary Scholars Notes Bibliography Index
£33.98
University of Washington Press Banaras Reconstructed
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Desai shows clearly that the city, especially its waterfront, has been a canvas for the inscription of power—of Mughal courtiers, Bengali merchants, British imperial functionaries, Hindu rajas, Maratha nobles, and an array of others trying to create their own narratives of heritage and lineage, whether for political or personal gain." * Journal of Asian Studies *"An important book that brings new life to one of India’s oldest, holiest, and best-known cities. Nowhere has the longer history of Banaras’s many (re)constructions been more cohesively or persuasively told." * Art Bulletin *"Madhuri Desai has dexterously attempted to describe and exemplify how varied aspects have contributed in the consecration of Banaras as sacred amidst other buildings which hold a high degree of historical significance. The arguments by the author are meticulously supplemented with original layouts and documentations dating from the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar." * Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities *"Banaras Reconstructed is a valuable intervention in the field of early modern and colonial architectural history, one that productively opens up new passages into the complex history and historiography of the “Hindu city.”" * Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (JSAH) *"A painstakingly pieced together work of longue durée urban history." * Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction | The Paradox of Banaras 1. Authenticity and Pilgrimage 2. Palimpsests and Authority 3. Expansion and Invention 4. Spectacle and Ritual 5. Order and Antiquity 6. Visions and Embellishments Conclusion | Banaras Revisited
£33.98
University of Washington Press Imperial Bandits
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Bradley Camp Davis has delved deeper into this topic than anyone before. . . . The discussion of the borderlands in this book and the way it reveals the challenges faced by a failed state is helpful in thinking about other periods of Vietnamese history. . . . Davis’s Imperial Bandits takes us deep into one of those times when a Vietnamese state struggled to control its territory, but when we take a step back we can see parallels with other periods and places, too." -- Liam C. Kelley * Mekong Review *"This is a brilliantly woven narrative of the intersecting imperial designs of the Nguyen, Qing, and French, at the center of which was the quintessentially borderland phenomena of the Black Flags. It is the standard work on the Black Flags now, replacing earlier work such as Eastman’s, and will find a welcome place on the desks of political scientists and historians of transnationalism, colonialism, and Asia." * H-Net *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Imperial Bandits, Cultures of Violence, and Oral Traditions 1. Opium and Rebellion at High Altitudes 2. Commerce, Rebellion, and Consular Optics 3. Imperial Bandits and the Sino-French War 4. Borderline, Resistance, and Technology Conclusion: Flags in the Dust
£33.98
University of Washington Press Slapping the Table in Amazement
Book SynopsisSlapping the Table in Amazement is the unabridged English translation of the famous story collection Pai'an jingqi by Ling Mengchu (15801644), originally published in 1628. The forty lively stories gathered here present a broad picture of traditional Chinese society and include characters from all social levels. We learn of their joys and sorrows, their views about life and death, and their visions of the underworld and the supernatural. Ling was a connoisseur of popular literature and a seminal figure in the development of Chinese literature in the vernacular, which paved the way for the late-imperial Chinese novel. Slapping the Table in Amazement includes translations of verse and prologue stories as well as marginal and interlinear comments.Trade Review"An important addition to any collection supporting Chinese studies and Asian literature. . . . Highly recommended." * Choice *"[A]nother major contribution to the field of Chinese vernacular fiction." * Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction by Robert E. Hegel Translators’ Note List of Illustrations Chronology of Chinese Dynasties Slapping the Table in Amazement Preface [1628 Edition] Five Editorial Principles for This Collection 1. The Man Whose Luck Has Turned Chances upon Dongting Tangerines; The Merchant from Persia Reveals the Secrets of a Turtle Shell 2. Yao Dizhu Flees from Disgrace Only to Incur More Disgrace; Zhang Yue’e Uses a Mistake to Advance Her Own Interests 3. Liu Dongshan Brags about His Prowess at the City Gate; Eighteenth Brother Leaves His Mark in the Village Tavern 4. Cheng Yuanyu Pays for a Meal at a Restaurant; Lady Eleventh Explains Swordsmanship on Mount Cloud 5. Zhang Derong Encounters a Tiger Sent by the Gods as a Matchmaker; Pei Yueke Becomes the Lucky Mate Just in Time for the Blissful Date 6. Zhao the Nun Drugs a Beauty into a Stupor; Jia the Scholar Takes Revenge in a Brilliant Move 7. Emperor Minghuang of Tang, a Daoist Devotee, Seeks Out Eminent Daoists; Consort Wu, a Buddhist Disciple, Witnesses Contests of Magic Power 8. General Wu Repays the Debt of One Meal; Chen Dalang Reunites with Two Loved Ones 9. In the Director’s Garden, Young Ladies Enjoy a Swing-Set Party; At Pure and Peaceful Temple, Husband and Wife Laugh and Cry at Their Reunion 10. Scholar Han Takes a Wife in a Wave of Panic; Prefect Wu Makes a Match for a Talented Scholar 11. An Evil Boatman Commits Blackmail with a Dead Body; A Heartless Servant Wrongfully Presses Murder Charges 12. Mr. Tao Takes In Strangers Seeking Shelter from the Rain; Jiang Zhenqing Gains a Wife with a Jest 13. Mr. Zhao Spoils His Son and Dies as a Result; Magistrate Zhang Sentences an Unfilial Son to Death in an Ironclad Case 14. To Steal Money, Yu Dajiao Does Violence to a Drunken Man; To Confront the Culprit in Court, Yang Hua Attaches Himself to a Woman’s Body 15. Squire Wei, with His Merciless Heart, Plots to Seize Another Man’s Property; Scholar Chen, with His Clever Plan, Wins Back His House 16. Zhang Liu’er Lays One of His Many Traps; Lu Huiniang Severs a Bond of Marriage 17. Prayer Services Are Held at West Hill Temple for a Departed Soul; A Coffin Is Prepared in the Kaifeng Yamen for a Living Criminal 18. An Alchemist Turns Half a Grain of Millet into a Nine-Cycle Pill; A Rich Man Squanders Thousands of Taels of Silver to Win a Beauty’s Smile 19. Li Gongzuo Ingeniously Reads a Dream; Xie Xiao’e Cleverly Snares Pirates 20. Li Kerang Sends a Blank Letter; Liu Yuanpu Begets Two Precious Sons 21. Yuan’s Face-Reading Skills Impress the High and Mighty; Zheng’s Good Deed Wins Him a Hereditary Title 22. With Money, a Commoner Gains an Official Post; Out of Luck, a Prefect Becomes a Boatman 23. The Older Sister’s Soul Leaves Her Body to Fulfill a Wish; The Younger Sister Recovers from Illness to Renew a Bond 24. The Old Demon of Yanguan County Indulges in Debauchery; The Bodhisattva on Mount Huihai Puts the Evil Spirits to Death 25. Revenue Manager Zhao Leaves Word for His Love a Thousand Li Away; Su Xiaojuan Achieves Happiness with a Single Poem 26. In a Competition for Sexual Favor, a Village Woman Is Murdered; In Claiming Celestial Authority, a Judge Solves a Case 27. Gu Axiu Donates to a Nunnery with Joy; Cui Junchen Is Shown the Lotus Screen through a Clever Scheme 28. The Master of Golden Light Cave Recalls the Past; The Venerable Elder of Jade Void Cave Is Enlightened about His Previous Life 29. They Remain Loyal to Each Other through Their Trysts; His Success Is Announced at the Jailhouse 30. Commissioner Wang Rides Roughshod Over His Subordinates; Adjutant Li Gets His Comeuppance from a Reincarnated Victim 31. Priest He Commits Fornication via Black Magic; Registrar Zhou Wipes Out Rebels via Fornication 32. Mr. Hu Corrupts a Fellow Man in a Wife-Swapping Scheme; A Chan Master in Meditation Explains the Principle of Retribution 33. Squire Zhang, in His Noble-Mindedness, Adopts an Orphan; Judge Bao, in His Wisdom, Recovers a Document 34. Scholar Wenren Shows His Prowess at Cuifu Nunnery; The Nun Jingguan Goes in Glory to Huangsha Lane 35. A Pauper Keeps Temporary Watch over Another Man’s Money; A Miser Resorts to Tricks When Buying His Nemesis’s Son 36. The Monk of the Eastern Hall Invites Demonic Spirits during a Lapse in Vigilance; The Man in Black Commits Murder in an Abduction Attempt 37. Qutu Zhongren Cruelly Kills Other Creatures; The Yunzhou Prefect Helps His Nephew in the Netherworld 38. To Stake His Claim on the Family Fortune, a Jealous Son-in-Law Plots against the Rightful Heir; To Continue the Bloodline, a Filial Daughter Hides Her Brother 39. Heavenly Preceptors, with Their Theatrics, Claim to Subdue Drought Demons; A County Magistrate, in His Sincerity, Prays for Sweet Rain from Heaven 40. On the Huayin Trail, Li Meets One Extraordinary Man; The Jiangling Commander Opens Three Mysterious Envelopes Notes
£105.20
University of Washington Press Slapping the Table in Amazement A Ming Dynasty
Book SynopsisTrade Review"An important addition to any collection supporting Chinese studies and Asian literature. . . . Highly recommended." * Choice *"[A]nother major contribution to the field of Chinese vernacular fiction." * Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction by Robert E. Hegel Translators’ Note List of Illustrations Chronology of Chinese Dynasties Slapping the Table in Amazement Preface [1628 Edition] Five Editorial Principles for This Collection 1. The Man Whose Luck Has Turned Chances upon Dongting Tangerines; The Merchant from Persia Reveals the Secrets of a Turtle Shell 2. Yao Dizhu Flees from Disgrace Only to Incur More Disgrace; Zhang Yue’e Uses a Mistake to Advance Her Own Interests 3. Liu Dongshan Brags about His Prowess at the City Gate; Eighteenth Brother Leaves His Mark in the Village Tavern 4. Cheng Yuanyu Pays for a Meal at a Restaurant; Lady Eleventh Explains Swordsmanship on Mount Cloud 5. Zhang Derong Encounters a Tiger Sent by the Gods as a Matchmaker; Pei Yueke Becomes the Lucky Mate Just in Time for the Blissful Date 6. Zhao the Nun Drugs a Beauty into a Stupor; Jia the Scholar Takes Revenge in a Brilliant Move 7. Emperor Minghuang of Tang, a Daoist Devotee, Seeks Out Eminent Daoists; Consort Wu, a Buddhist Disciple, Witnesses Contests of Magic Power 8. General Wu Repays the Debt of One Meal; Chen Dalang Reunites with Two Loved Ones 9. In the Director’s Garden, Young Ladies Enjoy a Swing-Set Party; At Pure and Peaceful Temple, Husband and Wife Laugh and Cry at Their Reunion 10. Scholar Han Takes a Wife in a Wave of Panic; Prefect Wu Makes a Match for a Talented Scholar 11. An Evil Boatman Commits Blackmail with a Dead Body; A Heartless Servant Wrongfully Presses Murder Charges 12. Mr. Tao Takes In Strangers Seeking Shelter from the Rain; Jiang Zhenqing Gains a Wife with a Jest 13. Mr. Zhao Spoils His Son and Dies as a Result; Magistrate Zhang Sentences an Unfilial Son to Death in an Ironclad Case 14. To Steal Money, Yu Dajiao Does Violence to a Drunken Man; To Confront the Culprit in Court, Yang Hua Attaches Himself to a Woman’s Body 15. Squire Wei, with His Merciless Heart, Plots to Seize Another Man’s Property; Scholar Chen, with His Clever Plan, Wins Back His House 16. Zhang Liu’er Lays One of His Many Traps; Lu Huiniang Severs a Bond of Marriage 17. Prayer Services Are Held at West Hill Temple for a Departed Soul; A Coffin Is Prepared in the Kaifeng Yamen for a Living Criminal 18. An Alchemist Turns Half a Grain of Millet into a Nine-Cycle Pill; A Rich Man Squanders Thousands of Taels of Silver to Win a Beauty’s Smile 19. Li Gongzuo Ingeniously Reads a Dream; Xie Xiao’e Cleverly Snares Pirates 20. Li Kerang Sends a Blank Letter; Liu Yuanpu Begets Two Precious Sons 21. Yuan’s Face-Reading Skills Impress the High and Mighty; Zheng’s Good Deed Wins Him a Hereditary Title 22. With Money, a Commoner Gains an Official Post; Out of Luck, a Prefect Becomes a Boatman 23. The Older Sister’s Soul Leaves Her Body to Fulfill a Wish; The Younger Sister Recovers from Illness to Renew a Bond 24. The Old Demon of Yanguan County Indulges in Debauchery; The Bodhisattva on Mount Huihai Puts the Evil Spirits to Death 25. Revenue Manager Zhao Leaves Word for His Love a Thousand Li Away; Su Xiaojuan Achieves Happiness with a Single Poem 26. In a Competition for Sexual Favor, a Village Woman Is Murdered; In Claiming Celestial Authority, a Judge Solves a Case 27. Gu Axiu Donates to a Nunnery with Joy; Cui Junchen Is Shown the Lotus Screen through a Clever Scheme 28. The Master of Golden Light Cave Recalls the Past; The Venerable Elder of Jade Void Cave Is Enlightened about His Previous Life 29. They Remain Loyal to Each Other through Their Trysts; His Success Is Announced at the Jailhouse 30. Commissioner Wang Rides Roughshod Over His Subordinates; Adjutant Li Gets His Comeuppance from a Reincarnated Victim 31. Priest He Commits Fornication via Black Magic; Registrar Zhou Wipes Out Rebels via Fornication 32. Mr. Hu Corrupts a Fellow Man in a Wife-Swapping Scheme; A Chan Master in Meditation Explains the Principle of Retribution 33. Squire Zhang, in His Noble-Mindedness, Adopts an Orphan; Judge Bao, in His Wisdom, Recovers a Document 34. Scholar Wenren Shows His Prowess at Cuifu Nunnery; The Nun Jingguan Goes in Glory to Huangsha Lane 35. A Pauper Keeps Temporary Watch over Another Man’s Money; A Miser Resorts to Tricks When Buying His Nemesis’s Son 36. The Monk of the Eastern Hall Invites Demonic Spirits during a Lapse in Vigilance; The Man in Black Commits Murder in an Abduction Attempt 37. Qutu Zhongren Cruelly Kills Other Creatures; The Yunzhou Prefect Helps His Nephew in the Netherworld 38. To Stake His Claim on the Family Fortune, a Jealous Son-in-Law Plots against the Rightful Heir; To Continue the Bloodline, a Filial Daughter Hides Her Brother 39. Heavenly Preceptors, with Their Theatrics, Claim to Subdue Drought Demons; A County Magistrate, in His Sincerity, Prays for Sweet Rain from Heaven 40. On the Huayin Trail, Li Meets One Extraordinary Man; The Jiangling Commander Opens Three Mysterious Envelopes Notes
£45.00
University of Washington Press Forming the Early Chinese Court
Book SynopsisForming the Early Chinese Court builds on new directions in comparative studies of royal courts in the ancient world to present a pioneering study of early Chinese court culture. Rejecting divides between literary, political, and administrative texts, Luke Habberstad examines sources from the Qin, Western Han, and Xin periods (221 BCE23 CE) for insights into court society and ritual, rank, the development of the bureaucracy, and the role of the emperor. These diverse sources show that a large, but not necessarily cohesive, body of courtiers drove the consolidation, distribution, and representation of power in court institutions. Forming the Early Chinese Court encourages us to see China's imperial unification as a surprisingly idiosyncratic process that allowed different actors to stake claims in a world of increasing population, wealth, and power.Trade Review"Forming the Early Chinese Court will be an informative and thought-provoking read not only to more specialized readers already acquainted with aspects of Han political culture, but also to students of Han government and the bureaucracy in Chinese history more generally." * China Review International: A Journal of Reviews of Scholarly Literature in Chinese Studies *"Habberstad approaches the “court” not as a thing . . . but as a complex set of evolving relations. The result is an adventurous account of the history of the Han that brings to light heretofore little-noted conversations, contention, and anxiety that were very much constitutive of the history of the Han empire." * Journal of Chinese History *"Habberstad should be congratulated for his book. Scholars of early Han history will surely benefit from his manifold astute observations." * Journal of the American Oriental Society (JAOS) *"Forming the Early Chinese Court is an original, lucid, and insightful consideration of developments in Western Han governance." * Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies *"[P]roduced with great care and reads well, with interesting descriptions of the interconnection between sumptuary regulations and rank and the togetherness of imperial living quarters, audience halls, amusement parks, and official workspace. The book is an important contribution to the study of Chinese early imperial history." * Religious Studies Review *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Chronology of Dynasties and Han Reign Periods Introduction: Forming the Early Chinese Court Part One | Rituals 1. Sumptuary Regulations and the Rhetoric of Equivalency 2. Who Gets to Praise the Emperor? Part Two | Spaces 3. Parks, Palaces, and Prestige Part Three | Roles 4. Politics, Rank, and Duty in Institutional Change 5. The Literary Invention of Bureaucracy Conclusion Notes Glossary Bibliography Index
£110.48
University of Washington Press Many Faces of Mulian
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Many Faces of Mulian is a fine interdisciplinary study on the baojuan genre that spans the boundaries between popular literature, religion, folklore, and anthropology, among others." * Asian Ethnology *
£110.48
University of Washington Press Many Faces of Mulian
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Many Faces of Mulian is a fine interdisciplinary study on the baojuan genre that spans the boundaries between popular literature, religion, folklore, and anthropology, among others." * Asian Ethnology *
£33.98
University of Washington Press Living Sharia
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Living Sharia is one of the most theoretically sophisticated, rigorously empirical, and ethnographically engaging works in the anthropology of Islam in years. At a moment when ‘discourses about sharia are integral to sociopolitical dynamics in American society’ (5), this is a book that deserves to be read by anthropologists and everyone concernedwith the challenge of religious ethics and citizenship in our late modern world." * American Ethnologist (AE) *"Daniels has produced a comprehensive, richly observed and sensitively analysed study of lived and living sharia in a complex cultural and political context." * Religions of South Asia *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Note on Transcription Chronology Introduction: Sharia and the Anthropology of Knowledge 1. Sharia in Malaysia: The Historical Background 2. Family Law: Religious Officials, Reasoning Style, and Controversies 3. Criminal Law: Taking the Middle Road 4. Economics: The Malaysian State, Darul Arqam, and the Islamic Party of Malaysia 5. Pro-Sharia Discourses: Race, Religion, and Nation 6. Contra-Sharia Discourses: Islamic and Secular Human Rights 7. Individuals: Views, Voices, and Practices Conclusion: Sharia Cultural Models and Sociopolitical Projects Notes Glossary References Index
£110.48
University of Washington Press Living Sharia
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Living Sharia is one of the most theoretically sophisticated, rigorously empirical, and ethnographically engaging works in the anthropology of Islam in years. At a moment when ‘discourses about sharia are integral to sociopolitical dynamics in American society’ (5), this is a book that deserves to be read by anthropologists and everyone concernedwith the challenge of religious ethics and citizenship in our late modern world." * American Ethnologist (AE) *"Daniels has produced a comprehensive, richly observed and sensitively analysed study of lived and living sharia in a complex cultural and political context." * Religions of South Asia *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Note on Transcription Chronology Introduction: Sharia and the Anthropology of Knowledge 1. Sharia in Malaysia: The Historical Background 2. Family Law: Religious Officials, Reasoning Style, and Controversies 3. Criminal Law: Taking the Middle Road 4. Economics: The Malaysian State, Darul Arqam, and the Islamic Party of Malaysia 5. Pro-Sharia Discourses: Race, Religion, and Nation 6. Contra-Sharia Discourses: Islamic and Secular Human Rights 7. Individuals: Views, Voices, and Practices Conclusion: Sharia Cultural Models and Sociopolitical Projects Notes Glossary References Index
£33.98
University of Washington Press Forming the Early Chinese Court
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Forming the Early Chinese Court will be an informative and thought-provoking read not only to more specialized readers already acquainted with aspects of Han political culture, but also to students of Han government and the bureaucracy in Chinese history more generally." * China Review International: A Journal of Reviews of Scholarly Literature in Chinese Studies *"Habberstad approaches the “court” not as a thing . . . but as a complex set of evolving relations. The result is an adventurous account of the history of the Han that brings to light heretofore little-noted conversations, contention, and anxiety that were very much constitutive of the history of the Han empire." * Journal of Chinese History *"Habberstad should be congratulated for his book. Scholars of early Han history will surely benefit from his manifold astute observations." * Journal of the American Oriental Society (JAOS) *"Forming the Early Chinese Court is an original, lucid, and insightful consideration of developments in Western Han governance." * Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies *"[P]roduced with great care and reads well, with interesting descriptions of the interconnection between sumptuary regulations and rank and the togetherness of imperial living quarters, audience halls, amusement parks, and official workspace. The book is an important contribution to the study of Chinese early imperial history." * Religious Studies Review *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Chronology of Dynasties and Han Reign Periods Introduction: Forming the Early Chinese Court Part One | Rituals 1. Sumptuary Regulations and the Rhetoric of Equivalency 2. Who Gets to Praise the Emperor? Part Two | Spaces 3. Parks, Palaces, and Prestige Part Three | Roles 4. Politics, Rank, and Duty in Institutional Change 5. The Literary Invention of Bureaucracy Conclusion Notes Glossary Bibliography Index
£33.98
University of Washington Press Forgery and Impersonation in Imperial China
Book SynopsisAcross eighteenth-century China a wide range of common people forged government documents or pretended to be officials or other agents of the state. This examination of case records and law codes traces the legal meanings and social and political contexts of small-time swindles that were punished as grave political transgressions.Trade Review"This book is undoubtedly a welcome and significant addition to the scholarship on Qing legal and social history. It will be of great value for anyone interested in late imperial Chinese law, society, culture, and politics." * Journal of Asian Studies *
£33.98
University of Washington Press Onnagata
Book SynopsisTrade Review"A well-researched and thorough historical study of the artificial and artistic construction of femininity by onnagata that provides a great deal of information as well as many thought-provoking insights." -- Akiko Kusunoki * Early Modern Women *"It is an important addition to the study of women performers in kabuki and supports the idea that onnagata is an action or performance" -- Colleen Lanki * Asian Theater Journal *"Isaka makes a number of important interventions in understanding how femininity is constructed and presented on the Japanese stage as well as in society as a whole. . . . The book’s exploration of gender performance goes far beyond the worlds of dramatic literature and theatrical performance." -- Megan Ammirati * Theatre Survey *"Isaka’s approach enables her to successfully situate onnagata within current discourse on gender identity. . . . Onnagata [is an] important additio[n] to the growing library of kabuki studies." * Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments Note on Textual Conventions Part One | Fundamentals: Invitation to Labyrinths of Gendering Introduction: A Labyrinth of Onnagata 1. Geneses of a Maze: Androgyne Fatale Part Two | Femininity Inside Out: Onnagata Who Pass 2. Denial of Transience: Forfeiting the Androgynous Charm 3. Prescription for Femininity: Onnagata Who Pass 4. Canonization: Creating Onnagata Traditions 5. Femininity in Circulation: Texts in Kabuki, Kabuki in Texts Part Three | Marginalized Centers: Bodies and Personnel 6. Naturally Disciplined: Moving Real on Procrustean Beds 7. Female Onnagata in the Porous Labyrinth: The Enunciated Femininity and the Enunciating Masculinity Part Four | Origins of Onnagata: Modern Reformation 8. Toward Contemporary Onnagata: Art in Their Blood Epilogue: The Journey Continues Notes Bibliography Index
£33.98
University of Washington Press Mediating Islam
Book SynopsisTrade Review"A richly-layered overview of the journalistic landscape in Malaysia and Indonesia." -- Peter Gordon * Asian Review of Books *"Steele’s study is well situated within the literature on Islam and politics in Southeast Asia. It provides an important corrective not only to simplistic assumptions that Islam cannot allow for free expression, balance, or critique but also to superficial understandings of how religious values shape people’s public activities." * Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia *"Steele’s book presents a landmark work, setting the stage for more nuanced engagements with contemporary Muslim practices of journalism in a world of contested religious ideals, social values, and political projects." * Journal of Islamic Studies *"Janet Steele’s book really is an eye-opener for anybody interested in comparative perspectives on journalism ethics. She skillfully deconstructs any possible assumption that ethical reflections in modern media organization is a privilege of the West." * Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly *"Janet Steele’s new book on Islam and journalism in Southeast Asia is a refreshing tour de force of qualitative research, grounded in years of in-depth interviews and participant observation at five influential print publications. . . . this is an extremely important book that sets new standards for qualitative research on the internal workings of newsrooms, and the world views that prevail there." * Journal of Press Politics *
£110.48
University of Washington Press Medicine and Memory in Tibet
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Through rich narratives, detailed descriptions, and critical analysis, Hofer brings to light the struggles and hardships of medical practitioners on the socio-political margins of Tibet. . . . This study is a unique and well-crafted ethnography written in beautiful prose that will be of great interest to scholars and students of Tibetan medicine and minorities in China, social anthropologists, and historians alike." -- Benedikte V. Lindskog * Reading Religion *"Medicine and Memory in Tibet is a captivating ethnographic and historical exploration." * New Books Asia *
£110.48
University of Washington Press Medicine and Memory in Tibet
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Through rich narratives, detailed descriptions, and critical analysis, Hofer brings to light the struggles and hardships of medical practitioners on the socio-political margins of Tibet. . . . This study is a unique and well-crafted ethnography written in beautiful prose that will be of great interest to scholars and students of Tibetan medicine and minorities in China, social anthropologists, and historians alike." -- Benedikte V. Lindskog * Reading Religion *"Medicine and Memory in Tibet is a captivating ethnographic and historical exploration." * New Books Asia *
£33.98
University of Washington Press Making New Nepal
Book SynopsisTrade Review"By tracing the political lives of five student activists over more than a decade, Amanda Snellinger makes an important contribution to political anthropology and South Asian studies as she illuminates the motivations that drive these young people’s entry into formal politics as well as the obstacles that they encounter in their efforts to realize their ambitions. . . .her book is an insightful analysis of how political structures reproduce themselves by socializing young people into their organizational practices, disciplining youthful idealism with the pragmatics of party politics." * American Ethnologist (AE) *"[A] well-grounded and nuanced analysis of the process and dynamics of democratic politics in Nepal." * Journal of Asian Studies *
£33.98
University of Washington Press A New Middle Kingdom
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Offers penetrating analyses of the paintings of the period by foregrounding sociological and cultural aspects of the time. . . . Including appropriate illustrations, notes, and a glossary, this is a good source for specialists interested in this relatively brief historical era." * Choice *"Richly detailed, comprehensively resourced, and meticulously researched . . . call[s] into question existing narratives on Chosŏn painting by reading artworks in consideration of their collective agency and their roles in negotiating values, taste, and status at a critical historical juncture. [A New Middle Kingdom] will hence contribute significantly to the literature and ultimately enrich scholarly discussion of early modernity in East Asia." * Journal of Asian Studies *"Questioning standard paradigms in the field and investigating unexplored issues, Park discusses in detail the roles of societal transformation, political ideology, and historical conflict in the making of paintings and the formation of visual culture...The wealth of material and the comprehensive coverage make this an absorbing book...a highly articulate, impressive study." * The Art Bulletin *
£78.14
University of Washington Press Bringing Whales Ashore
Book SynopsisTrade Review"What is the real history of whaling in Japan? Is it first and foremost a story about the continuation of a centuries old cultural tradition? And how likely is it that the whaling Japan continues to do in the name of scientific research under IWC rules will validate a long-standing dedication to the sustainable use of whales for food? . . . Jakobina Arch . . . provide[s] for the first time convincing answers to these and other questions in Bringing Whales Ashore." -- Geoffrey Wandesforde-Smith * Environment, Law, and History *"Bringing Whales Ashore is not only an important volume but also a provocative one. Jakobina Arch has produced (in her first book, no less) one of those rare and wonderful pieces of research that recasts the historical landscape (or, in this case, seascape) while stimulating debate and raising challenging new questions." * Monumenta Nipponica *"Arch’s fascinating study is more than an interdisciplinary maritime history. . . . Whales and whaling, here, wed the historical to the contemporary, enhancing knowledge of Japanese history while historizing contemporary controversies, including the invented tradition of Japanese as nature-loving people spiritually connected to their natural world." * Japan Studies Review *"Lucid, thoughtful, and thought provoking . . . a richly textured work that not only fills an important gap for scholars of Japanese history but also provides engaging material that should stimulate discussion—as well as debate—in the classroom." * Journal of Japanese Studies *"Rarely do books on the early modern period engage so directly with the present as does Bringing Whales Ashore. . . . As the Japanese pro-whaling lobby has constructed a certain narrative of the past to claim a right to whaling rooted in tradition and an ethos of sustainability, Arch provides a powerful counterweight with her in-depth investigation into all aspects of Japanese whaling history predating the rise of the modern factory ship in the twentieth century." * American Historical Review *"With Bringing Whales Ashore, Jakobina Arch almost singlehandedly places the emerging field regarding whales and whaling in Japanese history on solid ground." * Journal of Japanese Studies *"A superb book. . . . It represents the growing field of marine environmental history at its best." * Environmental History *"A breath-taking and emotional read... Jakobina Arch’s work challenges readers to travel from oceanscapes of cetacean migration, to visceral death on the coast, value extraction by dismemberment, and disintegration to places of hybrid-memory and lives long in the memory." * New Books Asia *"Jakobina K. Arch's Bringing Whales Ashore: Oceans and the Environment of Early Modern Japan is an important contribution to the rapidly expanding field of marine environmental history. Shedding the long-engrained terrestrial predisposition of history, Arch offers fresh understanding of the economic, cultural, and social links whaling forged between Japan and the Pacific Ocean in the premodern era." * H-Environment *"Bringing Whales Ashore is a breath-taking and emotional read for those concerned to fill in the watery, liminal spaces of environmental history in general or specifically of Japan." * New Books Asia *"[A] model of an interdisciplinary approach to environmental history...distill[s] complex histories into an eminently readable volume without compromising the scholarship therein." * H-Environment *
£39.00
University of Washington Press Buddhas and Ancestors
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Buddhas and Ancestors would be an excellent addition in any upper-level undergraduate or graduate class on premodern Korean history, Korean religions, or Buddhism in East Asia." * Journal of Asian Studies *"[A] work of impressive scholarship." * IIAS Newsletter (International Institute for Asian Studies) *
£33.98
University of Washington Press Living with Oil and Coal
Book SynopsisTrade Review"In Living with Oil and Coal: Resource Politics and Militarization in Northeast India, anthropologist Dolly Kikon offers a rich account of life in the midst of a landscape defined by multiple overlapping extractive industries and plantation economies, and of the social relations through which a resource frontier comes into being." * New Books in Anthropology podcast *"This is a versatile book that would be accessible for undergraduate audiences, yet contains complexity that would be of great interest for graduate audiences and scholars as well." * Electronic Green Journal *"Kikon’s ethnography is rich, diverse, and makes an engaging read." * Contributions to Indian Sociology *"The strength of Kikon’s work is...in the creativity and skill of its synthesis of existing theoretical work, applied to a new context and matched with local knowledge." * Anthropologica *"[A] beautiful and gripping account of the intimate layers of life, vio-lence and sovereignty pattered throughout the militarised carbon landscape of the foothills of Assam and Nagaland in North East India." * Postcolonial Studies *"[E]vocatively captures the intricacies and intimacies of daily life on this militarized resource frontier, drawing from stories, oral histories, and local myths, in spaces ranging from coal mines to oil rigs, rice fields to weekly markets and military checkpoints. Throughout, the book remains focused on the fragile and contested intimacies forged through trade, labor sharing, and love affairs across boundaries that are at once social, political, and ecological." * PoLAR: Political & Legal Anthropology Review *"[A] fantastic read, a book that speaks to scholars as well as general public. Kikon combines grounded ethnography with theoretical elabortation, setting a new standard of excellence for the anthropology of the North East." * Economic and Political Weekly *"Kikon has crafted the book skilfully with her narrative writing style...This book is an essential reading for those who want to understand the complex state-society dynamics in Northeast India." * Cultural Geographies *"Dolly Kikon’s book, undoubtedly a fascinating work of ethnography, compels us to problematize seemingly unitary categories of hills and other land and waterscapes and also to think of the impact of extractive regimes not only on the environment but also on how environment then comes to exist for the human societies who experience them." * Seminar *"Interdisciplinary scholarship on the environment has much to gain from Kikon’s book... The power of Kikon’s ethnography lies in its subtle, and unromanticized, insistence onthe creativity and fortitude of those communities living amidst such extractive debris. Kikon’s careful mapping of friendships, enmities, grieving, laughing, dying, working, loving, healing, teaching, struggling, and building helps us to see all of the fragile things that hold life together, and what we will still have to tend to once the oil is gone." * H-Net *"[S]uperb...what is truly the exceptional strength of the book [is] a richly textured ethnography of how individuals and communities make their lives in the shadows of a region transformed by extraction." * H-Net *
£33.98
University of Washington Press Caring for Glaciers
Book SynopsisTrade Review"In an outstanding example of multispecies anthropology based on 18 months of field research in Ladakh, northwest India, Gagné (anthropology, Univ. of Guelph) examines the consequences of war since 1948, the militarization of the border, demographic shifts, economic transformations, and unpredictable rainfall on agro-pastoral communities. . . .Highly recommended." * Choice *"This refreshing, honest-to-life portrayal of ethnographic moments makes this an essential book for anyone interested in understanding contemporary issues in the Himalayas and changing human-cryosphere relationships. . . . Gagné demonstrates that the region becomes meaningful through the entanglements of land, animals, and humans. In Caring for Glaciers, readers learn that the ethics of care, which maintain these entanglements, are eroding. It is therefore a sobering gift." * Journal of Asian Studies *"[A]n evocative ethnography of how the Tibetan Buddhist Ladakhis on the borderlands of India’s northwestern frontier have coped with the dramatic changes in the context of their lives since the 1947 partition of India. [A] profoundly compelling story of how globalization, conflict, and climate change have transformed people and, yes, glaciers." * Journal of Anthropological Research *"[A]n eloquent ethnographic exploration of how ethics and morality are cultivated through the everyday practices of living in the high desert of Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas." * Anthropologica *"[A] unique integrative account of generational and climate resiliency in the Himalayas." * Anthropological Quarterly *"[A] rich and timely ethnography exploring the ethical dimen-sion of human entanglement with the non‐human world...The great strength of Caring for Glaciers lies in the depth of its ethnographic description, drawing out the entanglement of political and environmental factors in modern Ladakh. It deserves to be read not only by regional specialists, but by anyone with an interest in human relations with the more‐than‐human world." * Social Anthropology *
£33.98
University of Washington Press Caring for Glaciers
Book SynopsisTrade Review"In an outstanding example of multispecies anthropology based on 18 months of field research in Ladakh, northwest India, Gagné (anthropology, Univ. of Guelph) examines the consequences of war since 1948, the militarization of the border, demographic shifts, economic transformations, and unpredictable rainfall on agro-pastoral communities. . . .Highly recommended." * Choice *"This refreshing, honest-to-life portrayal of ethnographic moments makes this an essential book for anyone interested in understanding contemporary issues in the Himalayas and changing human-cryosphere relationships. . . . Gagné demonstrates that the region becomes meaningful through the entanglements of land, animals, and humans. In Caring for Glaciers, readers learn that the ethics of care, which maintain these entanglements, are eroding. It is therefore a sobering gift." * Journal of Asian Studies *"[A]n evocative ethnography of how the Tibetan Buddhist Ladakhis on the borderlands of India’s northwestern frontier have coped with the dramatic changes in the context of their lives since the 1947 partition of India. [A] profoundly compelling story of how globalization, conflict, and climate change have transformed people and, yes, glaciers." * Journal of Anthropological Research *"[A]n eloquent ethnographic exploration of how ethics and morality are cultivated through the everyday practices of living in the high desert of Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas." * Anthropologica *"[A] unique integrative account of generational and climate resiliency in the Himalayas." * Anthropological Quarterly *"[A] rich and timely ethnography exploring the ethical dimen-sion of human entanglement with the non‐human world...The great strength of Caring for Glaciers lies in the depth of its ethnographic description, drawing out the entanglement of political and environmental factors in modern Ladakh. It deserves to be read not only by regional specialists, but by anyone with an interest in human relations with the more‐than‐human world." * Social Anthropology *
£110.48
University of Washington Press Mapping Chinese Rangoon
Book SynopsisTrade Review"[A] thoughtful and engaging contribution... With Mapping Chinese Rangoon, Roberts has shown readers a way to do scholarly work in Rangoon, one that offers insights about collective identity, ethnographic practice, and the fluid range of possibilities that exist between the past and present." * Journal of Asian Studies *
£33.98
MV - University of Washington Press Heroines of the Qing
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This study is not only of interest to students of traditional Chinese women’s literature. It ranges over fields as widely apart as print culture, art history, social history and medical history. In each of these fields it shows a far more assertive participation of women than is commonly assumed. . . . Equally relevant to the students of Republican history as to the students of Qing history. The book is very well written and throughout a pleasure to read." -- Wilt L. Idema * Nan Nu: Men, Women, & Gender in China *"Through women’s own writings, Yang greatly expands our picture of gentry women’s roles in Qing society. She shows how women used their writings, not just to seek literary immortality through publication, but to empower themselves and to reform and renew their society. . . . Binbin Yang has made a most valuable contribution to our understanding of late Qing social, literary and political history." * Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) - Modern *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Note to Readers Introduction 1. Breaking the Silence: Cases of Outspoken Exemplary Women 2. Visualizing Exemplarity: Women’s Portraits and Paintings for Self-Representation 3. Staging Family Drama: Genealogical Writing as Ritual Authority 4. Enacting Guardians of Family Health: From Exemplary Wife to Reformer Conclusion Chinese Character Glossary Notes Bibliography Index
£33.98
University of Washington Press Jade Mountains and Cinnabar Pools
Book SynopsisFirst-hand accounts of travel provide windows into places unknown to the reader, or new ways of seeing familiar places. In Jade Mountains and Cinnabar Pools, the first book-length treatment in English of Chinese travel literature (youji), James M. Hargett identifies and examines core works in the genre, from the Six Dynasties period (220581), when its essential characteristics emerged, to its florescence in the late Ming dynasty (13681644). He traces the dynamic process through which the genre, most of which was written by scholars and officials, developed, and shows that key features include a journey toward an identifiable place; essay or diary format; description of places, phenomena, and conditions, accompanied by authorial observations, comments, and even personal feelings; inclusion of sensory details; and narration of movement through space and time. Travel literature's inclusion of a variety of writing styles and purposes has made it hard to delineate. Hargett finds, however,Trade Review"Focusing exclusively on premodern travel literature written in classical Chinese, Hargett (Univ. at Albany, SUNY) adroitly traces the development of this literary genre in China from the Six Dynasties through the late Ming. . . . Readers will enjoy the fine balance between the author’s analysis and his translation of excerpts from representative travel essays. . . . Highly recommended." * Choice *"This long-awaited, first book-length literary history of imperial Chinese travel prose in English is an impeccably researched guide to the Chinese literature of “movement across the planet’s surface.” Jade Mountains and Cinnabar Pools is eminently readable, with little exoteric or specialist vocabulary. While written primarily for those interested in China studies, it is certainly accessible to the general reader or to the enthusiast of Western travel literature." * Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews *"This book will be welcomed by specialists and should be mandatory reading in a variety of disciplines. Its accessibility will also make it useful in the classroom for teachers at the undergraduate and graduate levels. As the culmination of a sinological career devoted to the translation and study of travel writing, Jade Mountains & Cinnabar Pools is an invaluable contribution to students and scholars in an array offields." * Journal of Asian Studies *"Jade Mountains and Cinnabar Pools succeeds in sweeping the armchair traveler along on a journey through both time and space, along a river journey with Fan Chengda and Lu You, and even beyond the confines of China with Faxian and Xuanzang, to landscapes and travel accounts heretofore unexplored." * Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) *"Jade Mountains and Cinnabar Pools offers the first book-length, comprehensive genre study and history of Chinese youji游記, or travel literature in English language." * Monumenta Serica *"[P]rovides a refreshing analysis of the fledgling field of studies in Chinese travel literature." * IIAS Newsletter (International Institute for Asian Studies) *
£110.48
University of Washington Press Resisting Disappearance
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This theoretically sophisticated and politically powerful book marks a groundbreaking moment in the anthropological study of Kashmir and South Asia that will also make an excellent text in undergraduate and graduate seminar on various themes and topics." * New Books in Islamic Studies (NBN) *"By focusing on the embodiment of kinship ties and mobilization of ritual that sustain those left behind, Resisting Disappearance sensitively shows how the political reality of ongoing occupation transforms everyday lives. Ather Zia’s compelling book will be of interest to students of militarization, occupation and colonization, gender politics and kinship, ritual, everyday life, and activism, at all levels." * Political and Legal Anthropology Review *"An indispensable text...Ather Zia weaves together a haunting, collective memoir of Muslim women’s organizing in Kashmir." * South Asian History and Culture *"The depth and familiarity of Zia’s analysis is inspiring...This is a truly marvellous book—it is a key contribution to anthropology and feminism." * South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies *"Resisting Disappearance is about what all of our society forgets: How Kashmiri women are continually resisting, striving every day and resisting the disappearances of family members,usually, sons, husbands or fathers...remarkable as it makes us understand the nuances and the multiple dynamics within Kashmir." * Feminism in India *"[A]n important and successful addition to both ethnographic works and works of feminist political theory on South and Central Asia." * Journal of Asian Studies *"[W]ith its engaging conversations on enforced disappearances... Zia’s work goes beyond Kashmir and is a testimony to the thousands of lives left un-grieved in conflict zones." * The India Forum *"The work pushes the boundary of ethnographic writing by recovering the aesthetics of poetry in the context of doing fieldwork in violent sites." * Borderlines *"[A]m imperative and urgent text... very lucid in style and structure and stands as evidence of Zia’s deeply reflective and introspective scholarship." * Doing Sociology *
£110.48
University of Washington Press Living with Oil and Coal
Book SynopsisTrade Review"In Living with Oil and Coal: Resource Politics and Militarization in Northeast India, anthropologist Dolly Kikon offers a rich account of life in the midst of a landscape defined by multiple overlapping extractive industries and plantation economies, and of the social relations through which a resource frontier comes into being." * New Books in Anthropology podcast *"This is a versatile book that would be accessible for undergraduate audiences, yet contains complexity that would be of great interest for graduate audiences and scholars as well." * Electronic Green Journal *"Kikon’s ethnography is rich, diverse, and makes an engaging read." * Contributions to Indian Sociology *"The strength of Kikon’s work is...in the creativity and skill of its synthesis of existing theoretical work, applied to a new context and matched with local knowledge." * Anthropologica *"[A] beautiful and gripping account of the intimate layers of life, vio-lence and sovereignty pattered throughout the militarised carbon landscape of the foothills of Assam and Nagaland in North East India." * Postcolonial Studies *"[E]vocatively captures the intricacies and intimacies of daily life on this militarized resource frontier, drawing from stories, oral histories, and local myths, in spaces ranging from coal mines to oil rigs, rice fields to weekly markets and military checkpoints. Throughout, the book remains focused on the fragile and contested intimacies forged through trade, labor sharing, and love affairs across boundaries that are at once social, political, and ecological." * PoLAR: Political & Legal Anthropology Review *"[A] fantastic read, a book that speaks to scholars as well as general public. Kikon combines grounded ethnography with theoretical elabortation, setting a new standard of excellence for the anthropology of the North East." * Economic and Political Weekly *"Kikon has crafted the book skilfully with her narrative writing style...This book is an essential reading for those who want to understand the complex state-society dynamics in Northeast India." * Cultural Geographies *"Dolly Kikon’s book, undoubtedly a fascinating work of ethnography, compels us to problematize seemingly unitary categories of hills and other land and waterscapes and also to think of the impact of extractive regimes not only on the environment but also on how environment then comes to exist for the human societies who experience them." * Seminar *"Interdisciplinary scholarship on the environment has much to gain from Kikon’s book... The power of Kikon’s ethnography lies in its subtle, and unromanticized, insistence onthe creativity and fortitude of those communities living amidst such extractive debris. Kikon’s careful mapping of friendships, enmities, grieving, laughing, dying, working, loving, healing, teaching, struggling, and building helps us to see all of the fragile things that hold life together, and what we will still have to tend to once the oil is gone." * H-Net *"[S]uperb...what is truly the exceptional strength of the book [is] a richly textured ethnography of how individuals and communities make their lives in the shadows of a region transformed by extraction." * H-Net *
£110.48
University of Washington Press The White Lotus War
Book SynopsisTrade Review"The White Lotus War: Rebellion and Suppression in Late Imperial China is a seminal work of outstanding scholarship and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Chinese History collections and supplemental studies lists." * Midwest Book Review *"Yingcong Dai provides the definitive history of a key juncture in the trajectory of the Qing dynasty...[D]etails with clarity the complicated interface of moving parts, from emperors and metropolitan officials to impe‐rial kinsmen and Mongols in the banner armies, Green Standard Army fighters, and locally raised troops deployed outside their own region, down to the provincial and county officials charged with provisioning the soldiers." * H-Net *"In her impressive new book, Dai Yingcong sets out to entirely change our understanding of the 1796 White Lotus rebellion." * Journal of Asian Studies *"Yingcong Dai is an expert on the nexus between military, economy, and soci-ety in the high Qing period...While the large wars of conquest of the Qing Dynasty in Central Asia and Tibet are the subject of numerous studies by now, and the turmoil of the nineteenth century is understood quite well as seen from multiple aspects, the watershed between the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries remained hitherto a blank area. Yingcong Dai filled this gap with her book on the White Lotus Rebellion (1796–1804)." * Journal of Military History *"[T]he first in-depth, comprehensive study of the White Lotus War...Integrating rigorous research with vivid storytelling, this book is an indispensable addition to the studies of Qing history and the military history of China." * Choice *
£63.31
University of Washington Press Bhakti and Power
Book SynopsisTrade Review"[G]ives the reader a kaleidoscopic vision of power as it has been inflicted, resisted, managed, redirected, and experienced across South Asia." * Journal of Asian Studies *"[A] welcome intervention in the field of bhakti studies. The work capably challenges neat narratives." * Reading Religion *"This edited volume is an excellent source for navigating the many distinct voices and traditions referred to as bhakti...a much-needed resource for scholars and teachers." * Religious Studies Review *"The book should inform and stimulate future studies of bhakti, and its warnings against reading modern concerns into pre-modern sources should be heeded." * Religions of South Asia *
£33.98
University of Washington Press Bhakti and Power
Book SynopsisTrade Review"[G]ives the reader a kaleidoscopic vision of power as it has been inflicted, resisted, managed, redirected, and experienced across South Asia." * Journal of Asian Studies *"[A] welcome intervention in the field of bhakti studies. The work capably challenges neat narratives." * Reading Religion *"This edited volume is an excellent source for navigating the many distinct voices and traditions referred to as bhakti...a much-needed resource for scholars and teachers." * Religious Studies Review *"The book should inform and stimulate future studies of bhakti, and its warnings against reading modern concerns into pre-modern sources should be heeded." * Religions of South Asia *
£91.00
University of Washington Press Holy Science
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Reading Banu Subramaniam is equal parts pleasure and provocation...Subramaniam’s work is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary impurity between the humanities and sciences." * Reading Religion *
£91.00
University of Washington Press Holy Science
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Reading Banu Subramaniam is equal parts pleasure and provocation...Subramaniam’s work is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary impurity between the humanities and sciences." * Reading Religion *
£29.66
University of Washington Press Two Centuries of Manchu Women Poets
Book SynopsisThis anthology presents substantial selections from the work of twenty Manchu women poets of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The poems, inspired by their daily life and reflections, provide fascinating insights into the experiences and emotions of these women, most of whom belonged to the elite families of Manchu society. Each selection is accompanied by biographical material that illuminates the life stories of the poets. The volume's introduction describes the printing history of the collections from which these poems are drawn, the authors' practice of poetry writing, ethnic and gender issues, and comparisons with the poetry of women in South China and of male authors of the Qing dynasty (16441911).Trade Review"Exhibiting the deft touch of an experienced translator, Idema has rendered these women’s compositions into exquisite yet accessible language. . . . [This anthology] challenges us to confront and rethink many of the preconceived notions and categories that we have used to analyze topics regarding gender and ethnicity, potentially opening the door for new exciting research in these fields." -- Bingyu Zheng * China Review International: A Journal of Reviews of Scholarly Literature in Chinese Studies *"This volume is a very welcome addition to the growing body of women’s poetry from late imperial China. Idema’s fine translation makes accessible once again the rich lives, experiences and feelings of poets long forgotten by history." * Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) - Modern *"Offers new insights into how these women both accommodated and adapted Chinese poetic conventions to their own situation. The translations are sensitively written and reflect the impressionistic nature, emotionality and poignancy that characterize the oeuvre of these women." -- Anne E. McLaren * Monumenta Serica *"Idema presents fine translations of the poetry of nineteen Manchu women in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) in fourteen chapters, contextualizing each poet and her work by providing vital biographical background. In doing so, Idema offers English readers a fascinating body of materials that invites comparative thinking and discussion on issues of writing, identity, and life experience in relation to gender and ethnicity. . . . The field of women’s literature is much enriched by his wide-ranging scholarship and superb skill in translation." -- Grace S. Fong * Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature (TSWL) *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Women of the Nalan Family: Miss Nalan, Sibo, and Madam Zhaojia 2. A Prisoner’s Mother and Wife: The Mistress of the Study for Nurturing Simplicity and the Mistress of the Orchid Pavilion 3. Chastity and Suicide: Xiguang 4. Mourning Royalty: Lady Zhoujia, Lady Tongjia, and Lady Fucha 5. Sacrifice and Friendship: Bingyue 6. A Tomboy in a Silly Dress: Mengyue 7. Unbridled Energy: Yingchuan 8. Releasing Butterflies: Wanyan Jinchi 9. Seeking Refuge in Truth: Guizhen Daoren 10. Traveling throughout the Empire: Baibao Youlan 11. A Proud Descendant of Chinggis Khan: Naxun Lanbao 12. From Hengyang to Beijing: Lingwen Zhuyou 13. The Modest Pursuit of a Minor Way: Duomin Huiru 14. A Poet from the Homeland: Lady Husihali Abbreviations Notes Glossary of Chinese Characters Bibliography Index
£33.98
University of Washington Press Where Dragon Veins Meet
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Whiteman's book is a valuable contribution to the history of the early Qing period, as well as to art history...When closing the book, one feels that its beautiful design and production, striking on first opening it, contribute to bringing to the fore the original and thought-provoking arguments put forward within it." * Sehepunkte *"Whiteman displays a dazzling command of his subject. His careful presentation of the source materials, their defects, and the methods he chose to transcend obstacles bespeak a commitment to historical accuracy that is both commendable and impressive." * Journal of Chinese Studies *"This book...fills a monumental gap in the art, architectural, and landscape histories of the early modern world, providing a long-overdue interdisciplinary discussion of the Qing emperor whose reign and works overlapped with those of better-studied contemporaries." * Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians *"Scholars from both fields, as well as other interested readers will find it of value, while the rich illustrations and beautiful design promise a delightful reading experience." * East Asian Science Technology and Medicine *"Where Dragon Veins Meet provides an exemplary study of a particular site by connecting methods of art history, humanist geography, landscape and garden studies, and literature... All in all, Whiteman's book maps out new paths to approaching historical landscape, intermedial representations of place, as well as transcultural studies of imperial and pictorial spaces." * Art Bulletin *"Whiteman’s impeccable work goes far beyond simply a comprehensive and thought-provoking study of Kangxi’s Mountain Estate itself. Instead, it reveals not only the global dimension of this ‘frontier landscape’ but a Qing political landsape within an interconnected ‘long’ 18th entury, creating a milestone in writing global art history." * Architectural Histories *"Where Dragon Veins Meet is an important case study in how rigorous scholarship can reshape our understanding of even the most famous sites. Whiteman’s detailed analysis not only uncovers the Kangxi-era landscape at the Mountain Estate, long buried under Qianlong’s contributions, but also demonstrates the essential role Kangxi played in the development of Qing visual and material culture. Handsomely produced in full color, this book will undoubtedly serve as a standard reference for scholars interested in Chinese imperial arts, landscape studies, and early modern history for many years." * Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies *"Through careful and sophisticated stylistic analysis, Whiteman demonstrates impressively how attention to objects can effectively enhance historical understanding in the absence of written sources. Therefore, Where Dragon Veins Meet is of interest to art historians and historians alike." * Bulletin of the Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica *"Where Dragon Veins Meet is a thoroughly researched and intellectually illuminating work. Its interdisciplinary approach shows what the landscapes of the Mountain Estate can tell us about early Qing politics and its position in the early modern world. This book will certainly be of interest to historians and art historians of late imperial China. Scholars of garden and palace construction, landscape history, as well as monarchy studies will also find it valuable to compare the Kangxi emperor’s park-palace to other projects in the early modern world." * T'oung Pao *
£78.14
University of Washington Press The Kongs of Qufu
Book SynopsisThe city of Qufu, in north China's Shandong Province, is famous as the hometown of Kong Qiu (551479 BCE)known as Confucius in English and as Kongzi or Kong Fuzi in Chinese. In The Kongs of Qufu, Christopher Agnew chronicles the history of the sage's direct descendants from the inception of the hereditary title Duke for Fulfilling the Sage in 1055 CE through its dissolution in 1935, after the fall of China's dynastic system in 1911. Drawing on archival materials, Agnew reveals how a kinship group used genealogical privilege to shape Chinese social and economic history. The Kongs' power under a hereditary dukedom enabled them to oversee agricultural labor, dominate rural markets, and profit from commercial enterprises. The Kongs of Qufu demonstrates that the ducal institution and Confucian ritual were both a means to reproduce existing social hierarchies and a potential site of conflict and subversion.Trade Review"As Agnew recounts the compelling stories of how the Kong family negotiated with the state and regional powers to maintain social hierarchies, he presents the ducal institution (1055–1935) as a remarkable case for the study of institutional history at both regional and state levels. This is perfect supplemental reading to Michael Szonyi’s Practicing Kinship for readers interested in Chinese lineages. . . . Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty." * Choice *"Agnew’s book is impressive in its chronological and thematic scope, and he makes persuasive arguments about economic, political, and social factors thatshaped the history of the Kong ducal establishment." * Journal of Chinese Studies *"Agnew’s reliable and well-written book provides a fresh glance at the role of Confucian traditions in situations of social turmoil in Late Imperial China. His matter-of-fact approach reveals the contradictions that in the past have characterized Confucianism and continue to do so." * Religious Studies Review *"In providing us with The Kongs of Qufu, Agnew has afforded us with most thoroughgoing insight available to date on what is probably China’s most conspicuous saga in genealogical identity construction, offering us an extraordinarily detailed near-insider’s perspective on the self-perceived necessity of single lineage—over the course of generations—for distinguishing between “us” and “them.”" * China Review International *
£110.48
University of Washington Press The Shamans Wages
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is in short an extraordinary book, a corrective for anyone who Orientalizes shamanic ritual." * European Journal of Korean Studies *"[A]n interesting encounter with popular religion in the changing circumstances of Cheju." * Journal of Asian Studies *"[A] welcome contribution to an arena that has long needed to study monetary transactions in ritual." * Asian Ethnology *"[T]he book is inspiring and innovative in terms of the deep and detailed analysis of the multiple meanings of reciprocity in the context of shamanistic rituals." * Acta Koreana *"An insightful and valuable contribution to the study of Korean shamanism, it should find a place on the shelf of anyone who wants to have a better and more complete understanding of this living tradition." * Journal of American Folklore *"[C]learly one of the best books on musok out there." * Religious Studies Review *
£33.98
University of Washington Press Tasting Paradise on Earth
Book SynopsisTrade Review"[A]n excitingly original challenge to the field of food studies. Although informed by theoretical perspectives such as Bourdieu's idea of middle-class anxiety, Feng is deeply and personally grounded in China's culinary present, an experience she uses to create new perspectives and sympathies for her written sources. In this way, she is remarkably successful at bringing voices of the past into meaningful conversation with the parallel transformations of China's food enterprises, tastes, and culture." * Asian Ethnology *
£110.48
University of Washington Press The Way of the Barbarians
Book SynopsisTrade Review"[A]n important contribution to an evolving discourse on a critical era in both Chinese history specifically and East Asian history more broadly." * Journal of Chinese Studies *"The book would be worth reading just for its thoughtful accounts of how various writers (Han Yu, Sun Fu, Liu Chang, Cheng Yi, etc.) addressed the distinction in their studies of the Annals, but it has a much larger argument to make." * Journal of Chinese History *"[A]n important contribution to the study of ethni‐city and changing rhetorical strategies involving the ever-evolving construction of Chinese identity in premodern China." * H-Net *"Yang has expertly painted a picture of Confucian ideological and intellectual orthodoxy, the rise of Neo-Confucianism, and the subsequent intellectual discourse that took place during the Tang-Song transition period. Those with an interest in Chinese religion have much to gain from this." * Religious Studies Review *
£91.00
University of Washington Press Idle Talk under the Bean Arbor
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Editor Robert Hegel has assembled an erudite team of luminaries in late imperial translation and scholarship. . . . It is, in short, a valuable and comprehensive research tool for the original Doupeng xianhua in particular and for late imperial fiction in general. Being so many different things, the volume is accessible and useful to a number of audiences: casual readers looking to escape the heat of a summer afternoon reading; undergraduates familiarizing themselves with the breadth and depth of Chinese letters; and specialists in the field." -- Nathaniel Isaacson * China Review International *"Robert Hegel's rich and complex edition of Idle Talk under the Bean Arbor will be important not only for scholars of Chinese and comparative literature, but also for learning and teaching about Chinese culture at all levels." * Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) - Modern *"With ample paratextual material, a creative and skilled array of translators, and expert framing by the collection’s key editor and translator, Robert Hegel, Idle Talk in its English translation conveys both the complex contents and the multilayered pleasures of its early Qing original.Modern Chinese Literature and Culture" * Modern Chinese Literature and Culture *"Thisfirst complete English-language translation, edited by Hegel, gives Idle Talk the treatment it deserves...a vital addition to English-language translations of late imperial literature." * Journal of Asian Studies *"After publishing in three handsome volumes a complete translation of Feng Menglong’s celebrated Sanyan trilogy, the University of Washington Press has now performed a further service for students of Chinese literature by releasing a translation of another seventeenth-century story collection, Doupeng xianhua, or Idle Talk under the Bean Arbor... The twelve stories are linked with a nar-rative frame that imagines a series of storytelling sessions under the shade of a bean arbor that take place over a period of weeks from early summer to late autumn. There is much to commend in this English edition." * Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies *"This first complete English translation of this collection will not only be warmly welcomed by teachers of Chinese literature, but should also be of interest to schol-ars of Chinese and comparative intellectual history...an extremely welcome addition to the corpus of available translations from premodern Chinese literature. It introduces the Anglophone world to a fascinating collection by a highly original mind. It is to be hoped that it will not only be widely used in undergraduate and graduate class-es, but also will find its way to a more general audience." * T'oung Pao *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction | Gossip and Exaggeration in Aina’s Short Stories / Robert E. Hegel Terms of Measurement and Titles Chronology of China’s Historical Periods (Dynasties and States) Preface: Dashed off by Whistling Crane of the Empty Heavens / Translated by Li Qiancheng Foreword written by Aina the Layman from Shengshui, with Commentary by Ziran the Eccentric Wanderer from Yuanhu / Translated by Li Qiancheng Session 1: Jie Zhitui Sets Fire to His Jealous Wife / Translated by Mei Chun and Lane J. Harris Session 2: Fan Li Drowns Xishi in West Lake / Translated by Li Fang-yu Session 3: A Court-Appointed Gentleman Squanders His Wealth but Takes Power / Translated by Alexander C. Wille Session 4: The Commissioner’s Son Wastes His Patrimony to Revive the Family / Translated by Li Fang-yu Session 5: The Little Beggar Who Was Truly Filial / Translated by Zhang Jing Session 6: The Exalted Monks Who Faked Transcendence / Translated by Zhang Jing Session 7: On Shouyang Mountain, Shuqi Becomes a Turncoat / Translated by Mei Chun and Lane J. Harris Session 8: With a Transparent Stone, Master Wei Opens Blind Eyes / Translated by Alexander C. Wille Session 9: Liu the Brave Tests a Horse on the Yuyang Road / Translated by Annelise Finegan Wasmoen Session 10: Freeloader Jia Forms a League on Tiger Hill / Translated by Robert E. Hegel and Xu Yunjing Session 11: In Death, Commander Dang Beheads His Enemy / Translated by Lindsey Waldrop Session 12: In Detail, Rector Chen Discourses on the Cosmos / Translated by Robert E. Hegel Afterthoughts on Stories Historical and Cultural References Notes Glossary of Chinese Characters Bibliography Contributors
£33.98
